10 Annoying Stereotypes that EDM Music Festival Goers Hate
EDM music has received an extremely bad reputation and it’s pissing a lot of people off. Music should not define who people are. It’s time to put a stop to the ridiculous notion that music can affect human behavior. These are some of the top misconceptions that people have about EDM music that seriously need to die out.
1. EDM music raves and festivals are like massive orgies.
This annoys me. I get it, everyone is particularly friendly at raves. This is part of the culture and the development of PLUR. You haven’t truly experienced a rave until you’ve had someone give you a PLUR handshake.
So, you might get some friendly hugs from some random strangers. So what? Rave culture is about being open, loving, and accepting to one another. Some people let go of themselves a little bit more than others, but it sure as hell beats those crazy mosh pits you see at rock and heavy metal concerts.
There might be a few PDA’s here and there, but it’s nothing worse than you might see at any concert. I can sure as hell promise you there are no orgies taking place.
2. If you listen to EDM music, you must do drugs.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to do drugs to like EDM music. I don’t know how many times people have asked me if I like to “drop some acid” or “eat some molly.” The answer is always NO, I don’t want to poison myself.
I hate to break it to you but… concerts, clubs, and bars all have drugs. Just because they have drugs doesn’t mean everyone is doing them.
Drugs are portrayed as fun in various films like Party Monster, Go, and Human Traffic. These films all give you a sense that doing drugs at raves is thrilling and exciting. These movies aren’t going to point out that taking these drugs is slowly turning your brain to mush and take years off of your life.
There are unfortunately many people that will partake in drugs at EDM festivals and raves in addition to other types of music festivals and concerts. It’s something idiots do. It has absolutely nothing to do with EDM music.
3. EDM music is the same thing as techno music.
Absolutely not. EDM music is NOT just techno. Techno is just one of many genres of EDM. EDM stands for Electronic Dance Music. There are a large variety of different genres and sub-genres of EDM music.
Check out this article called An Idiots Guide to EDM Genres for a breakdown of popular genres and sub-genres of EDM music.
4. Old people don’t go to raves and festivals, and they don’t listen to EDM music.
This makes me laugh every time. Just because someone gets old doesn’t mean they have to all of a sudden start listening to music from the 1950’s. Old folks totally love EDM music and can often dance better than I do!
5. Women who go to EDM music raves and festivals are immoral, slutty and dress provocatively.
Alright. If you understand anything about rave culture, you would understand that men also dress fairly provocatively at raves. That doesn’t mean everyone dresses like that, and that doesn’t make the women in particular immoral and slutty. It’s a costume that is usually no worse than a bathing suit and some fancy makeup. Get over it!
6. People who go to EDM festivals are irresponsible and don’t have jobs.
If you seriously believe this, you haven’t researched the price of raves and festivals. I don’t know how anyone who doesn’t have a job could afford to go to popular festivals like EDC, where individuals spend between $1,480 and $2,000 depending on the type of food, lodging, and other amenities they choose to purchase during the trip.
I can guarantee you a job is necessary to attend these events. Many festivals and raves last around 3 days, so expenses can add up quickly like they can with any vacation.
7. EDM music isn’t real music; it all sounds the same.
Anyone who tells me this hasn’t really explored EDM music. Different genres of EDM music sound so incredibly different from one another. You would have to be deaf to think they all sound the same.
8. Anyone can be a DJ because DJ’s aren’t musicians.
Being a DJ takes some serious skill. Anyone who thinks otherwise obviously hasn’t tried to DJ. Successful DJ’s have a deeper understanding for the sounds of EDM music and know how to mix these sounds together. Anyone can throw music on and say they are a DJ, but does it really sound good?
You can’t expect to pick up a guitar and become a rock star overnight. The same thing goes for being a DJ. It takes practice, skill, and effort to become a DJ that people really want to listen to. DJ’s are practiced musicians. Quit mocking their talent!
EDM music is loved by a diverse population of individuals with a variety of different backgrounds and interests. It’s time to stop giving EDM music a bad name and to just sit back and enjoy the music. If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it, and keep your bullshit stereotypes to yourself!